Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) State president G. Kishan Reddy’s allegation that the Congress was conspiring to derail Liberation Day celebrations has no substance, said TPCC senior vice-president G. Niranjan.
In a statement here, the Congress leader said it was not right to make such an allegation on the part of the BJP, which feels it is “the only competent party” to organise programmes on September 17 though it had not played any role in the Hyderabad merger struggle. This is a testament to their bankruptcy, he said, adding that it was the Congress and its leaders who played a major role in the struggle.
Mr. Niranjan said it should not be forgotten that the Nizam government banned the Hyderabad State Congress from obstructing Congress activities. Congress, under the leadership of the late Swami Ramananda Tirtha, late P.V. Narasimha Rao and late Hayagrivachari, had organised camps in Vijayawada in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra and provided shelter to the people, which should not be forgotten.
He also said that it was the Jawaharlal Nehru-led government that annexed the State of Hyderabad to India through police action. Moreover, the successive Congress governments honoured those who took part in the Hyderabad merger struggle by recognising them as freedom fighters and giving them pension and land.
He said Union Home Minister Amit Shah was to address a meeting in Warangal on September 17 but the BJP changed its mind as soon as the Congress party applied for a meeting at the Parade Grounds to block it. “It reveals the true colours of BJP,” Mr. Niranjan added.
